Are there any Ex-New Yorkers living in Philly? (Philadelphia, Penn: apartments, rent) - Pennsylvania (PA) - City-Data Forum

cyrusjul · 08-27-2008, 12:33 PM

How do you like living in Philadelphia? Did you found a job in the city or are you commuting back to NYC? How do you like living in Philly as oppose to living in NYC? Did you though about living in the other boroughs or in parts of New Jersey before moving to Philly? Center City is a nice area, but does it really compare to parts of Manhattan? What about other neighborhoods in Philly. Do you like them? Give your thoughts.

*Sweetkisses* · 08-27-2008, 03:36 PM

I'm an ex- New yorker ( still a New Yorker by heart). It took me a while to understand Philadelphia and I still have a love/hate relationship with the city but for the most part Philly is ok by me. The only thing about living here that really ticks me off is the fact that the stores close down too damn early. In NY I can run to the store and get whatever I need with no problem any time of day.
I would say that Philly reminds me of Brooklyn in the 80/90's but now Brooklyn is turning into a bedroom community for ex- Manhattanites so I don't know how affordable it is today. CC Philly is very cosmopolitan IMO and offers a lot of things to do. There are great neighborhoods, many of which might remind you of Greenwich village, etc even though the streets in Philly are smaller. Philly also has an excellent restaurant scene. I think I read sonething about there being about 300 restaurants scattered about. Thats alot considering the fact that CC is not that big.
I think your best bet would be to come and look for yourself. Get a feel for the city and make your decision based on your experience.

john_starks · 08-27-2008, 05:40 PM

moved here from Manhattan 3 yrs ago. i left my job in N. Jersey because i didn't want to deal with the commute. got a job in Philly in the same industry..took a about 6 mos though. yeah we initially thought about the outer boroughs and N. Jersey but my wife has family in S Jersey so we made an executive decision to move south. to be honest, we were spoiled with living in lower Manhattan so everywhere else was gonna suck anyway

as far as Philly. Sk is pretty on target about the city. took me a while to get adjusted. my neighborhood bodegas close down pretty early too, but i think that its more an issue of crime. i gotta say the city is a little scary with the crime. i think its the dark allys and lack of foot traffic in certain areas. i never felt scared in Manhattan, but the streets were more crowded and there was more of a police presence (thanks to Guiliani). anyway, Center City really has a lot going for it and has enough diversity and activities to keep me satisfied. and i think mayore Nutter may help give the city a facelift.

bryson662001 · 08-27-2008, 06:14 PM

I am an ex NYer but it has been 19 years. After living in LI, Queens and Manhattan and working in Westchester I moved to Center City and felt right at home except my money went a lot further. A whole lot further. Even in 1989 I could walk down a Philly street and forget that I wasn't in NY. Both cities have come a long way since then. Also it didn't take long to realize that the so called crime issue was just a red herring and didn't apply to my situation. Even today I see very little difference between the two cities except that you still get a whole lot more for your money in Philly which translates into a better standard of living.

solibs · 08-28-2008, 01:20 AM

I lived in NYC on and off over the years (mostly Brooklyn). You can't compare Philly to Manhattan. You could compare it to Brooklyn but even that's not fair. It's like Boston but with DC crime. ;-)

Really, I think the crime issue here is overblown. I'm not saying it isn't higher than in New York but for people on this board, the crime here doesn't affect them and it's not going to. If you live in Center City your experience will be little different than living in Manhattan. If you live in one of the many neighborhoods that surround Center City your experience will probably be more like a lot of Brooklyn neighborhoods on on the leading edge of the gentrification wave.

If you ever got bored in Philly, which, IMO, you'd have to try to do, you can always hop on the train or bus and be back in Manhattan in as little as an hour. Still, I wouldn't ever expect to feel like you're living in New York while you're here. There's so much about the cities that are different. Manhattan, and even Brooklyn to a large extent, is a city of apartment buildings. Philadelphia is a city of houses. Even in large parts of Center City that's true. It lends a completely different vibe to this place.

Tiger Beer · 03-02-2010, 08:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by solibs

Manhattan, and even Brooklyn to a large extent, is a city of apartment buildings. Philadelphia is a city of houses. Even in large parts of Center City that's true. It lends a completely different vibe to this place.

This is interesting - and a lot of rowhouses in particular, right? Seems like Philadephia still has that density as New York, right? A city of houses actually sounds a lot better than a city of apartments.

There is a lot of talk about CC (City Center)...is that more or less equivalent to 'Manhattan below 59th Street'? Meaning, you would need a lot of money to live there, etc.? Which to me, would kind of defeat the purpose for someone to leave NYC for more affordable Philadelphia. Right? Or am I not correct about that?

john_starks · 03-03-2010, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

This is interesting - and a lot of rowhouses in particular, right? Seems like Philadephia still has that density as New York, right? A city of houses actually sounds a lot better than a city of apartments.

There is a lot of talk about CC (City Center)...is that more or less equivalent to 'Manhattan below 59th Street'? Meaning, you would need a lot of money to live there, etc.? Which to me, would kind of defeat the purpose for someone to leave NYC for more affordable Philadelphia. Right? Or am I not correct about that?

it is still a lot cheaper in comparison. you'll get twice the space for 1/2 the price. and center city, while nice, is a poor man's manhattan on its best day. you really can't compare. if anything, center city is more similar to brooklyn.

pman · 03-05-2010, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

This is interesting - and a lot of rowhouses in particular, right? Seems like Philadephia still has that density as New York, right? A city of houses actually sounds a lot better than a city of apartments.

There is a lot of talk about CC (City Center)...is that more or less equivalent to 'Manhattan below 59th Street'? Meaning, you would need a lot of money to live there, etc.? Which to me, would kind of defeat the purpose for someone to leave NYC for more affordable Philadelphia. Right? Or am I not correct about that?

I don't get the brooklyn comparisons. market east reminds me of downtown brooklyn and spruce st sort looks like brooklyn heights. on the whole, it's not an apt comparison. cc would be like wrapping stone st, downtown brooklyn, brooklyn heights, midtown, and a sliver of the upper west side into one compact nugget I guess. and I wouldn't call it a poor man's manhattan per se (though it certainly applies in the jobs dept) but a laid back man's manhattan. NY's fun and exciting but it would grate on my nerves I'd think, the people, the lines, the hassle. it's not bad, it just depends on what you want. outside center city solibs is spot on, city of houses...a lto of old manhattan still exists smaller streets, homes, etc.

Tiger Beer · 03-05-2010, 08:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pman

I don't get the brooklyn comparisons. market east reminds me of downtown brooklyn and spruce st sort looks like brooklyn heights. on the whole, it's not an apt comparison. cc would be like wrapping stone st, downtown brooklyn, brooklyn heights, midtown, and a sliver of the upper west side into one compact nugget I guess. and I wouldn't call it a poor man's manhattan per se (though it certainly applies in the jobs dept) but a laid back man's manhattan. NY's fun and exciting but it would grate on my nerves I'd think, the people, the lines, the hassle. it's not bad, it just depends on what you want. outside center city solibs is spot on, city of houses...a lto of old manhattan still exists smaller streets, homes, etc.

A lot depends on where you live in Manhattan. When I lived there, I shared a 1-bdrm converted into 4-bedrooms...which cut down on my rent considerably.

One thing I noticed, if you live in Manhattan, you do completely different things than a visiting tourist would do. So, it was only when I went to Times Square, which was almost never, that I'd experience long lines, hassle, too many crowds, etc.

Usually I never ventured above 14th Street

Which is the Manhattan I preferred

CHIP72 · 03-05-2010, 08:32 PM

IMO, places like Chelsea and the north end of Greenwich Village in Manhattan are a lot like much of Center City Philadelphia, especially the Rittenhouse Square area. That's a compliment to both areas. (As an aside, I think those areas a number of blocks south of NY Penn Station may be my favorite parts of Manhattan - they have some activity and also have rowhouses but aren't crowd magnets - mind you I've only been maybe half of Manhattan south of Central Park.)